


Wanderers and Benders

by Valaena_the_Historyteller1



Series: Wanderers and benders [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:28:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26070397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valaena_the_Historyteller1/pseuds/Valaena_the_Historyteller1
Summary: While wandering for the eternity in mortal coasts, Daeron and Maglor found new homes with humans they came to treasure. Maglor joins the Fire Nation, hoping for the last few generations to raise a worthy heir that will undo what Sozin, Azulon and Ozai has done, while Daeron, adopted by the Southern Water Tribe, learns from the waterbenders to in the future help a young Katara. Meanwhile, Manwë´s winds reached the Last Hope, announcing his return...
Relationships: Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Ozai & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Wanderers and benders [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1942057
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Wanderers and Benders

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Iceheart101](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iceheart101/gifts).



> I have read a very original and great fanfic about this crossover and wanted to write one myself. For now it´s an oneshot, but it might turn into something more.

“Girls are crazy!!” Zuko ran past his mother to his room in the palace, leaving a trace of confused servants in his way. He locked himself up in his own chambers, changing his clothes and jumping into his bed in humiliation. He considered screaming into the pillow, but he wouldn´t sink so low. He then heard a soft knock on the door. “Go away, mother, I´m not in the mood to see anyone” another knock. “I said go… Great chancellor!!! I´m sorry for my rudeness.”

“Nonsenses, child” Maglor entered the room with a calm smile. After helping many generations of the Fire Nation Royalty, he was used to deal with fiery tempers. Besides, nothing Zuko or any of his descendants and forbearers do can compare to his father´s own temper. “In was wondering if you wanted to practice the harp with me now.”

“The harp again?” the little prince said, twisting his mouth. “I thought we have already concluded that I had no talent for music and should focus on my firebending.”

“Come on, Prince Zuko, humour an old man…”

“You are not that old. Or at least not as old as uncle”

“You would be surprised” the raven laughed and gently guided the young prince to his own private chambers, where a big harp sat. The boy sighed, moving towards the instrument, when a hand on his shoulder stopped him.  
“Wait, Prince Zuko. I haven´t really brought you here to practice the harp. I wanted to give you a gift that you can´t share with anyone. Specially your father. Do you understand?”

“Yes” the child nodded, suddenly very interested. “So… you have gift for me? What is it? What is it?”

“Here” the elf handed over a long package, which Zuko opened eagerly. He gapped in amazement when a pair of dual daos was uncovered, making the boy´s eyes go wide. “I know you miss your own pair now that your father took them away along with your sword training, so I decided to make you a pair myself. What do you think?”

“They are great!! Thank you!!” Zuko lifted them, as if they were the most amazing gift he had ever received. And they probably were, at least after his father cancelled his training with master Piandao and melted his old set of daos in front of his eyes, telling him that a firebender didn´t need those kind of inferior weapons. “Wooow… wait, great chancellor, did you do this yourself?”

“Yes, I did” Maglor answered, a little bit ashamed. To untrained, human eyes those swords would look flawless, but the reality was that they were barely an acceptable work for an elf. Well, he couldn´t do more. He was not Curufin… or his father. “An special gift for my special little boy.”

“How do you know how to make a sword?” asked the prince, forgetting completely that he was called a little boy. When he asked, master Piandao told him making a sword was a complicated art that included fire and metal and you have to train for many years to learnt to make a weapon like that. Then, how did the chancellor know, who was a politician?

“My father taught me when I was little. He was a smith” 

“Yes?” the little prince stared at him with wide eyes wonder. How did the son of a smith end up in the private council of the Fire Lord?

“Yes, but that was not my calling. I was a better musician than smith” Maglor admitted, remembering his early years, when he watched his father work in a playpen with Maitimo, both little boys learning the basics. Those were better times, when they still haven´t a care in the world. “Besides, I could never reach the level he had. No one can.”

“He must have been a pretty great smith then” the boy smiled at the elder, looking at his new dao swords with a gleeful smile. One that made the other think so much of his own twins that the elf felt happier than in ages.  
“Thank you, chancellor. I will treasure them.”

“I hope so… because I´m going to continue with your swords training” the prince stared at him in bewonderment again. “Yeah, I thought that if the harp was so boring to you, I might as well spend the time teaching you something you actually enjoy” the minstrel put on a mischievous expression, pretty much like the ones he used to share with Elros when the elfling tried to appear innocent after playing a prank on Maedhros. “So… same hour, same day, my prince?”

“Yes!!”

Zuko left after informing the elder that he had to visit his grandfather with his parents, promising to return later. Maglor waved him goodbye, happy, returning to his own duties quickly to make space in his agenda for the child. Later, deep in the night, he was informed that the Firelord was found in his chambers dead, with a new Will written as his last wish, naming Ozai as his successor. Ursa had mysteriously banished too, and his efforts to find her were proven fruitless. The minstrel then sat down by Azulon´s deathbed, praying to Námo quietly, only to detect a faint scent. A really faint, sweet one…

Fire Lord Azulon´s funeral was next day, along with Ozai´s coronation as the new monarch of the Fire Nation. Makalaurë watched him closely, confirming his suspicions. The wretched man didn´t even had the gall to appear sad for his father´s passing, his daughter mirroring his rotten smiled. He bit his lips, it seemed that the only innocent in the household was now poor Zuko. The Great Fire Sage stopped in that moment, putting Azulon to rest and proceeding to crown Ozai. But before that, a hand stopped him. Maglor the Minstrel stepped forward before the masses and sang a funerary hymn to Azulon in quenya, honouring the dead man. A hymn that brought many a man to tears. At the end, he turned to Ozai and stared at him with a message in his glare: I know what you did.

“I thought you would want to talk to me after the coronation” the new Fire Lord said when Maglor entered the Throne room without announcing himself. “And before you even talk, Ursa was the one who proposed this… agreement between us.”

“Why would she? From where I see, you are the only one who would gain something from Azulon´s early dead.”

“Oh, then you didn´t know? And here I thought you knew everything that went around in this palace!!” Ozai mocked. “Well, if you must… my father got mad at me because of a… request I made and ordered me to kill my own firstborn” the elf´s heart jumped one time. He knew Azulon was rotten, but something like that… it seemed he was really as wretched as Ozai and Sozin. “I was going to do it, as you should know, but Ursa somehow find out and proposed me something else. She said that if I allowed Zuko to live, she will make me Fire Lord.”

“So you have your poor wife to kill your father and then banish her” the finwean said, wanting to land a good punch on him, but knowing he will never manage to get away with that and keep his place in court. A place he now needed. “Clever”

“Is that all?” the man mocked more at the eldar in retreat. “I was expecting more righteous anger from you, great chancellor.”

“And what good will it do to me? I don´t have proofs and you are Fire Lord” he said, his expression cold. “But don´t mistake this, it isn´t the end. I´m going to make sure you keep your promise to Ursa and that child lives. Be warned, Ozai, and don´t prove me.”

“What can you, a nonbender, do?”

“Why don´t we duel and you find out?” answered Maglor. That day was the first in many years the Fire Lord tasted defeat. And fear. What kind of entity the great chancellor was? Was he a spirit like many said him to be? He didn´t understand.

-Years later-

“You will learn and suffering will be your teacher.”

“Ozai!! Drop that child now!!!” the entire court was struck silent when they heard that scream. They were all surprised. Was indeed there someone bold enough to talk to the Fire Lord like that? And don´t get burned? The Fire Lord himself looked up from his terrified son only to see the High Chancellour making his way to the stage. “Challenging your own child to an Agni Kai, threatening to permanently harm him… what were you thinking?!”

“He needs to learn” the man answered, glaring at the elf. And wondering, not for the first time, why hadn´t he gotten rid the Chancellor when his father died. The guy was a complete nuisance. “It´s the only way he could…”

“It´s your SON, for the Agni´s sake!! Drop the boy now and don´t you dare to put a finger on him!!” Maglor advanced towards the pair. And some people dared to call his father a monster. Fëanor never put a hand on any of his sons, no matter how much of a nuisance they were. “Drop Zuko now or I will make you.”

“You won´t dare to put a finger on me”

“Don´t test me, Ozai, you know you can´t defeat me” the elf threatened the man. In front of his entire court. The Fire Lord glared at him, but suddenly his face softened. He dropped Zuko, who didn´t dare to move from his place on the floor.

“Very well, I will let him live. He is banished, make sure he is out of my sight and city before I change my mind” he continued with his eyes on Maglor´s. “You will go with him, as not even you can talk to your Lord like that” the noldor refrained from snorting. As if that horrible human could be his lord, no matter how much blood he shared with his peredhil twins. “You are never to come back unless it´s with the Avatar in chains.”

“Very well” Maglor took a step towards the father and son pair, but just in that moment Ozai turned and stamped his fiery hand on Zuko´s eye, making the boy scream. The elder also yelled at Ozai´s wretchedness and ran to stop the horrifying scene, but it was too late. Zuko´s face would be scarred forever and… and he couldn´t safe him.

Another child he had failed to.

“Don´t be like that, he is going to be alright” Iroh assured him when the both of them got into the ship right after Zuko´s stretcher. “And with us two taking care of him, he will wish for nothing.” 

“But there is one thing, Iroh, and I pray to the Valar it´s not his condemn” Maglor said sadly. “His father´s love” the elf shook his head, looking at the old man with seriousness. “WE will have to supply him with plenty of that, as Ozai seemed incapable of caring for anything else besides himself.”

“Sometimes I wish it wasn´t the case” the retired General sighed, knowing that his childhood mentor was right. Since he was little, his younger brother haven´t care for anything else but power and besting others. And, as his narcissism grew, his capacity for love became smaller and smaller. So much that it didn´t encompass their family anymore. “I will try to teach him the true meaning of firebending too.”

“I will also continue with his education on my side”

Zuko woke up a few days later, screaming and crying because of his banishment. Immediately after he calmed down, he proclaimed his determination to find the Avatar and bring him chained to his father. Maglor and Iroh looked at each other a little bit sad, not able to dissuade him. They decided to make the best out of the situation and continued to teach the explosive teenager, trying to mould him into a man of good. A man who could bring change to the corrupted Fire Nation.

“Horrible” the elf said after Zuko finished a kata Iroh had just taught him. The teen turned to him, ready to scream at him what part was horrible, but the older being swept him off his feet with a fluid movement. “Fluidity and balance!! I thought I had taught you that enough times already. Firebending and swordsmastery have that in common and that is that you need to move fluidly and keep your balance. Or the enemy is going to take advantage of your poor equilibrium and defeat you. Do the kata again!!”

“But… But I did it perfectly…”

“Like a dance, Zuko, move as if you were dancing. Like this” Maglor made an example, moving with more grace than any human can. And keeping himself well grounded. Giving each punch the correct amount of strength…  
“Again!!”

“Yes”

-In the South Pole-

“Great to see you, Mr Daeron!! Do you have more seal jerky for us?” Sokka said. The older man smiled at him, handing over some meat to the child, who ran to show it to his grandmother and sister.

The Doriathrim singer sighed and moved ahead, to the igloo that was normally reserved for him when he stayed with the tribe for the winter. Once inside, with the few possessions he had, the elf started to wonder how much his life had changed. From that noble loremaster and singer in the magnificent court of Elu Thingol to the traveller and honorary southern Water tribesman he was now. It was a simpler life than the one he thought he would live, but… but he wouldn´t wish for anything else now.

No, he was lying. Of course there were things he missed and would wish to have with him. His cousin Mablung, one of his best friends in the world, was one. Kannafinwë Makalaurë, Maglor Feanorion, the one that had become his companion in exile and… more, was another. But he also made new friends, friends that he didn´t want to lose. The entire Tribe… the Water Tribe was his people now. And for that same reason, he had to stay away from Maglor.

He picked up a paper, where a sketch of him and the kinslayer was drawn by an Earth Kingdom artist, from when they were still going around wandering together. Those days were so peaceful, only the two of them wandering the new world… until they came across the only thing that could draw Maglor away from him. Elros children, Elrond´s children, through Estel and Arwen. His love for them was enough to make the other minstrel abandon him to follow and protect the Royal Family in Caldera.

He sighed, when was the last time he had seen Maglor? He hadn´t dared to approach Caldera since Sozin´s tyrant reign. The atrocities committed by the Fire Nation made him want to hurl and contacting Makalaurë while he was still serving in court, being practically a Water Tribesman… that would be suicide. And how can he continue protecting them when he saw what Sozin, Azulon and now Ozai have done? Unbelievable!! Preposterous!!

“Ahh, Makalaurë, why do you Feanorians always make things so hard?” he commented to the drawing, thinking about the complicate family he was dealing with and their last, complicate member. Well, he knew what he was getting into when he decided to have something with a member of the most complicated family in the entirety of Arda. The only thing he could do from now on was wondering what was going to come next. When the Avatar return and war unleashed… what was going to happen from then on?

“Mr. Daeron!! Gran Gran wants to say thank you herself by making you dinner!! Do you want to go?”

“Yes, of course” he got up and walked to where Kanna was, already savouring dinner. That would surely put his mind of Makalaurë for a bit, no? “Dear Kanna… Chief Hakoda!! I thought you might still be in the tribal igloo, talking to the council…”

“The reunion ended early” he sighed, frustrated. “Information arrived from the Earth Kingdom. Apparently, things are more dire than they are letting the world know. The Fire Nation is gaining more and more terrain each day” the dark skinned man looked at the elf directly to the eyes, something the humans nearly never did. “It has been decided that the men of the Tribe are to join the war efforts.”

“The children know?”

“I´m going to inform them tonight” 

“If you also want me to join…”

“That is not why I wanted to talk to you” the man sighed again. “I´m going to leave Sokka and Katara behind to guide the Tribe. My mother will help them all she can, but… I would like you to stay with them and guide and protect them too”

“I will gladly do so” the elf answered. It was the least he could do to repay the Water Tribe for their generosity all these years.

“And… my mother told me that you were there in her youth, when there were still waterbenders in our Tribe. She also said that you, even if you are a nonbender yourself, learned their movements, so you became the closest thing to a bender this Tribe still has” Daeron nodded. “I would like for you to train Katara”

“I am no master, so I don´t know how much that could help her, but I will do all I can” the elf declared, remembering the few katas he managed to learn. “When do you leave?”

“Tomorrow morning”

Just as he promised, Hakoda and the Southern Water Tribe Fleet left the next day, leaving their wives and children behind to help the war effort. That made Daeron´s thoughts turn for a second to Makalaurë again. Was he there? In the battlefield, the commanding tent, the front? Was he devising this men downfall already? He shook his head, he couldn´t worry about that now. He had warned the Chief about his old friend, now his worries rest on Katara.

“Let´s begin” he took the girl to a nearby secluded river. “First movement is this, pull and push. Do you see?” the eldar made a demonstration for the child. “Pull and push, like the moon and the sea…”

-Deep beneath the Ocean-

“Where am I?! what happened?!” Aang answered to the white emptiness that surrounded him. No time passed, nothing was in the horizon, nothing, nothing… everywhere. He nearly cried. Was this his punishment for escaping? For abandoning his duties as Avatar? For not wanting the power bestowed to him? He couldn´t understand.

“No, it is not” a voice in the middle of the nothingness. Suddenly a man in white regal robes, with flowing white hair and a winged crown appeared in front of him. It was the most perfect being Aang had ever seen, so much that he wondered what his name was. “My name? People has called me many names many times, but you might call me Manwë”

“Oh… well… Mister Manwë… where are we? In the spiritual world? Are you a spirit?”

“Your ancestors surely seemed to think that, but I am actually older than the beings they called spirits” the being answered, surprising the young Avatar. “But even we knew the importance of the Avatar” he started to panic again. “Don´t fret, young airbender, your predicament was planned. Had you arrived in your time, the world would have already been destroyed.”

“But… but I…”

“Soon you will wake up, my friend, don´t worry” Manwë Sulimo said, a gentle breeze from his creation encasing the Avatar. “And you will have a duty even harder than any Avatar before you. But I´m confident you will succeed in that and in sending the last remaining eldar in Arda back to us. You, after all, have a part of me in you” he touched the boy´s head, making him close his eyes. “I trust you, heir of Raava.”

“Lord Manwë”

“Rest now, that your journey is about to begin and you will need all of your strength for that” the man whispered, sending Aang back into deep sleep. “Sleep…”

**Author's Note:**

> Well, how was it? It thought that no one said Daeron sailed, so he might as well have stayed and wandered with the other minstrel until the end of the days. Besides, as Aang is an airbender and the bridge between the spirit and mortal worlds, he might as well be able to communicate with the Valar and Maia, so it´s not out of character for him to have talked with Manwë, an air Vala, while in the iceberg.


End file.
